It was footsteps of someone walking down the corridor. The footsteps quickened as the person came nearer. It was as if whoever it was was on a mission to catch us. I picked up my robe and quickly wore it as Babatunde wore his pants.

Then we heard a knock on the door. I looked at the door then at Babatunde in fear and shock. Somebody cannot come and catch us when I have just started enjoying, God forbid. The knock became louder as Babatunde looked for where to hide me.

“Dad, are you there?” It was Sophie.

Babatunde pointed at the bathroom door and told me to go into the bathroom. I quickly ran to the door, opened it and locked the door.

“Come in Tolu.” I heard him say.

The door opened and Sophie entered. Since she is such a nosy person, she asked him why he didn’t open his door when she knocked. Smooth operator Babatunde now told her that he was in bathroom and didn’t hear her knock, wonderful. He asked her where she had gone to and they just started blabbing about work and some other nonsense things that I was not interested in hearing.

While I was in the bathroom, I thought about what I had just done. The sex was great and I knew there was money, plenty money attached, but to what end? Was I going to continue going round in circles and sleeping with different men? I knew that the relationships with Babatunde and Demilade wouldn’t lead me anywhere yet I was still dancing round with them. What foolishness is that biko? Eligible bachelor like Fowi was on my case and I was there, locked in the bathroom of my friend’s father so that my friend won’t catch me with her father. Isn’t that amazing?

My epiphany was almost complete when I heard Sophie say they were going downstairs for dinner. I waited patiently till I heard the door open and close. I slowly unlocked the bathroom door and came out of the bathroom. Went to the mini fridge I sighted and took out a bottle of Jack Daniels. I looked for a glass but there was none in sight so i put the bottle in my mouth and gulped down what felt like one shot.

I couldn’t come and kill myself abeg. After all, this life is a pot of beans, I cannot come and be passing money buy because I am forming uprightness. Who uprightness help? Can I enter Gucci store and pay with uprightness? Abi is it plane ticket I will buy with uprightness? Mschewww. Youngie like me will now stop enjoying my life because I want to be upright, abegi.

I tiptoeed out of the study and looked around to see if the coast was clear. Luckily, no one was in sight. So I quickly ran downstairs and went to my room. I locked the door, took of my robe and the ripped designer bodysuit and went to take a shower because I didn’t want to be smelling of sex.

When I came out of the shower, I took a clean set of clothes and wore them, then I put the bodysuit at the bottom of my bag before the owner will come and see it now and break bottle on my head. After I had put everything back in order, I went downstairs to join them for dinner.

“Naya, where have you been? I came to your room but I didn’t see you.” Sophie said as I sat down.

“I was in the bathroom, talking to my mum.”

“Oh, I’m sure she can’t wait for you to get home tomorrow.” Sophie said.

“Why don’t you give Tolu your account number, let us add a little something to your account to make your stay in Lagos comfortable.” He continued.

Demilade turned and looked at him in shock.

“But dad, Lagos is where she lives, it’s not like she’s traveling out of the country or something.” Demilade said.

I was actually going to tell the man no, thank you o but since it was paining Demilade so much, I decided to accept it. I was about to answer Lade when Sophie gave it to him.

“Why so angry bro?Is it your money daddy is going to give her?” She asked Demilade.

Babatunde was just smiling at both of them. I just looked on with a blank expression on my face. This Demilade didn’t have any sense at all. How will he come and be airing his grievances in front of his father? When they ask him why he was so bitter, what answer will he give.

I wanted to stick my tongue out at Demilade because once again, he had failed. There and then, I picked up my phone and texted my account number to Sophie. She commented on how swift I was and Babatunde and I laughed about it.

Dinner was soon over and Sophie and I retired to her room.

“Babes, thank you so much for today, I really appreciate it.”

For a second I wondered what she was talking about then I remembered the uncle Rex incident.

“What are friends for? Don’t mention.” I answered.

She smiled at me.

“I just want to know though, how come you’re dating him, isn’t he too old for you?” I asked her

Pot calling kettle black.

“And what do young men have to offer, apart from heart break, lies and deceit? Abeg, I’d rather date an old man who has experience in loving and taking care of a woman.” She answered.

Wonderful theory! And I was there, feeling guilty for sleeping with her father, mscheww. The day she catches me ehn, God forbid sha, I will recite this thing she just said, word for word. After all, I am only doing unto her what she is doing to uncle Rex’s daughter, simple law of karma.

“You sef, what’s up with you and Fowi? Has he asked you out?” She asked with keen interest.

“Sophie we just met now, we’re still getting to know each other.”

“Hmm, ok o, sha hold him well o. Fowi and Demilade are two of the most eligible bachelors in the country. Well Demilade is already taken, so you better take Fowi before one random girl comes and takes him away.” She said.

“Yes madam.” I laughed.

We gisted and gisted till we both fell asleep in her bed. It was the sound of my phone ringing at 5:30am that woke me up. I quickly jumped out of bed and ran to my room to start getting ready. Fowi had called to say that he would pick me up at 6. So I took a shower and dressed up in a flash. When he called me that he was at the gate, I went to wake Sophie and told her I was leaving. She hugged and kissed me goodbye and continued her sleep.

We got to the airport in no time and while we were checking in, my phone beeped, ALERT!!! Of how much? 500k, 500k, as in, five hundred thousand naira, was sitting in my account. Meaning that my account balance had changed from 20 thousand naira to 520 thousand naira, this God is too good fa.

I was just smiling from ear to ear and imagining all the things I would do with the money when Fowi asked me what was making me smile, I told him it was something I saw on Instagram and he teased me about it.

The journey to Lagos was smooth and we landed at about 8am. When we alighted from the plane, I walked ahead and stopped to wait for my luggage. When Fowi got to me, he asked me what I was doing. In my mind I was wondering what kind of stupid question he was asking. I told him I was waiting for my luggage and he told me not to worry, that the luggage would be brought to the car. I looked at him in confusion, what was this one saying? Who will bring it to the car?

He noticed my confusion and explained to me that one of his assistants was already sorting out the luggage and that he would take it to the car.

“Ohh, is that why you collected my boarding pass?” I asked him.

“Yes love, I already texted him your luggage details, he will pick up.”

“Olufowobi, omo baba olowo.” I teased him.

He laughed and pulled my hand and we left the airport. If you see the car that came to pick us ehn, that Benz GLE 450, sleek car like this. As I got in, I made a mental note to remember not to let them drop me in front of my house. Because if my mother should sight me alighting from that car, she will not only tell my father that I am now following men, she will also tell him that she caught me having sex in the car.

So when we got to my street, I told the to drop me two houses before mine. Fowi wanted to come in and say hello to my parents but I refused, telling him that my parents do not entertain male visitors of their daughter early in the morning. He laughed and agreed only after I had promised to see him later that evening.

As I entered my house, I met my parents on their knees, praying the rosary. My mother rose her head and looked at me, signaling me to get on my knees and join them in prayer. The woman didn’t even let me go in and drop my box. I knelt down quietly and joined them in finishing the prayer. When they had finished, I greeted both of them. My father smiled at me and asked how my trip was and trust my mother not to be normal. Before I could answer my father, she attacked me.

“So you have finally remembered that you have a house abi?” She asked me.

My father looked at me, smiled and left the parlor, saying he had to get ready for work. I looked at my mother and smiled too. I wasn’t going to let this woman dampen my mood. My

“Why are you smiling? Who is smiling with you? Is it today camp is closing? Your mates came back home to their families when camp was over, but you sat down there, doing what only God knows.” She continued

“But mummy, I was sorting out my posting now.”

“Which yeye posting? Did I not tell you that we were working on your redeployment?” She asked me.

“And I told you that I didn’t want to serve in Lagos.”

“Why? So that you can be following men up and down where no one will see you, abi?”

“Mummy!” I shouted.

“Don’t call my name, is that not how you were sneaking up and down with men even in this Lagos, under my nose, talk less of Abuja.”

“I haven’t even entered the house and you are already breathing fire down my neck.” I said.

“ọ bụ m ka ị na-ekwurịta okwu na nke ahụ?”

I looked at her angrily. She was asking me if I was talking to her like that when she damn well knew that she was provoking me.

“Mba.” I answered.

“I knew it, because it cannot be me, you cannot be talking to me like that, ị bụghị onye nzuzu”

“See mummy, NYSC is for people to go and gain experience and fend for themselves outside their comfort zone. How will I gain experience if I sit in Lagos? What will I be doing here? Pata pata, I will teach and they will pay me 20 thousand extra. When I can stay in Abuja and earn 100k.” I said.

“Ehen?” My mother shouted. “Ego ole?”

Before I could answer her again, she answered herself,

“100 thousand naira!”

“Ohoo!” I shouted. “Even you know that it is plenty money.”

“Of course it is, nnukwu ego, very big money.” She answered.

I laughed.

“Nsogbu adiro. You will go back to that Abuja o.” She said.

I screamed excitedly and jumped on her.

“Thank you mummy.”

“Uhmm. But on one condition o.” She said.

How didn’t I know that it was too good to be true? The way she just agreed, I should have known the was a catch.

“Ohh mummy, you have come o, oya what is it?”

“You will stay with your aunty, so that she can be keeping an eye on you for me.”

“But mummy na, her house is very far from my office. Do you want me to spend half of my salary on transport?”

“So you want to go and rent house now abi what?” She asked me.

“No o, who said anything about renting house biko? I am going to stay with my friend, her parents own the company and she lives with them. Will I now be wayward in their house? No now.”

“Ehen, ok now, but you will give me that friend’s number so that I can know who you’re staying with.”

“No problem ma.” I said.

“And her mother’s own too and you will be calling me at least four times every week.” She added.

“If you even want me to call you morning, afternoon, night, I will call you. Is it not call?”

She laughed.

“Mummy mummy!” I hailed.

“Go joor.” She laughed.

Even though my mother and I were always at each other’s throat, we were still friends and our friendship was the sweetest.

My stay in Lagos came and went like a flash. I hung out with Fowi frequently and uncle spent money on me ehn. We ate at better, better places, went shopping, boat cruise, name it. But he had to go back to Abuja two days before me because of work.

I went back to Abuja the next weekend and Sophie was extremely excited that I was coming back. She even offered to come and pick me up but I declined, telling her that Fowi would send his driver to pick me up.

I got back to The Akin-Cole mansion but no one was home when I arrived. The staff told me that Sophie and Demilade went out and that Babatunde had traveled out of the country. I went to my room and started unpacking my boxes. I had bought a lot of new clothes, shoes and bags and even hair too, TSA hair hooked me up good while I was in Lagos.

While I was unpacking, Sophie flung my door open and dashed into the room. She screamed and jumped on me. I hugged her back excitedly.

“Welcome!” she said as we broke out of the hug.

“Thank you. I missed you.” I said.

“Me too. This house was boring for the first few days you left till God liberated me two days ago.”

“Liberated you?” I chuckled. “How?”

The bomb she dropped in my ear next was a very bitter pill to swallow. War was looming and I wasn’t sure I was ready for it.